Major Cable News Channel Achieves Top Ratings Across Key Viewership Categories in Second Quarter

A prominent cable news network reported a dominant performance in viewership during the second quarter, surpassing major broadcast and cable competitors in several key programming blocks, including weekday primetime and late-night. The channel's leading programs consistently attracted large audiences, reinforcing its position in the competitive media landscape.

Key Weekday Program Successes

The program "Special Report with Bret Baier" garnered more than 2.7 million total viewers and approximately 245,000 adults in the coveted 25-54 demographic. This performance allowed it to outperform "CBS Evening News" in 18 significant markets, including major metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., while also continuing to narrow the gap with the CBS series nationally.

In the late-night segment, "Gutfeld!" maintained its robust viewership throughout the quarter. Airing at 10 p.m. ET, the show averaged 2.8 million total viewers and 299,000 adults aged 25-54. These figures positioned "Gutfeld!" ahead of all broadcast late-night programs, including "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and "Comics Unleashed" on CBS, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on NBC, and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

The panel discussion program "The Five" continued its remarkable run, securing the highest ratings in cable news for the 19th consecutive quarter. This achievement extends its record as the first non-primetime program to hold the top spot for such an extended period.

Weekend and Morning Viewership Highlights

The morning program 'Friends' also maintained its status as the most-watched morning lineup in cable news throughout the second quarter, demonstrating consistent appeal to early viewers.

Weekend programming also saw strong numbers. Maria Bartiromo’s "Sunday Morning Futures" emerged as the top-rated weekend show, attracting 1.9 million viewers. Other weekend broadcasts also performed well: "The Sunday Briefing," co-hosted by Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich, drew 1.6 million viewers, while "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" averaged 1.7 million viewers. Additionally, "Life, Liberty & Levin" and "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade" each recorded 1.5 million viewers, contributing to the channel's overall weekend strength.